Design Guide – Cube 3

To get the most out of our 3D printing services, it’s important to start with a well-optimized 3D model. This design guide outlines the basic capabilities of the Cube 3 and what to keep in mind when designing certain features.

Features

A supported wall is one that is connected to a supporting surface on at least two sides. The minimum recommended wall thickness for the Cube 3 printers is 1mm. Supported walls smaller than this may warp or otherwise not print to specification.

Click on the image to see detailed illustrations and photos of the printed parts

In our tests, the Cube 3 had the tendency to thicken walls that were less than
1mm in specification.

An unsupported wall is one that is connected to a supporting surface fewer than two sides. The minimum recommended wall thickness for the Cube 3 printers is 1mm. Unsupported walls smaller than this may warp or otherwise not print to specification.

Click on the image to see detailed illustrations and photos of the printed parts

In our tests, the Cube 3 had the tendency to thicken walls that were less than
1mm in specification.

Depending on their orientation, the Cube 3 may distort small holes. The recommended minimum diameter is 0.5mm. Holes printed on the XY plane may be prone to closing more than holes on the ZX/ZY planes, especially if these holes lie on the build plate.

Click on the image to see detailed illustrations and photos of the printed parts

In our tests, the Cube 3 printed small holes on the Z-axis with a small amount of error. Holes on the XY plane, however, consistently printed about 0.8mm smaller than specification.

Any feature whose length is greater than twice its width is considered a ‘wire’. Wires printed vertically are especially fragile and susceptible to deformation.

Click on the image to see detailed illustrations and photos of the printed parts

In our tests, the Cube 3 had a tendency to increase the diameter of vertical wires with a specified diameter of less than 2mm. Wires below 1mm specification were extremely prone to breaking. At 0.2mm and below, nothing was printed.

An overhang is any part of your model that sticks out horizontally (parallel to the build plate). Because the Cube 3 does not have a separate support material, these types of overhangs can become deformed depending on the length.

Click on the image to see detailed illustrations and photos of the printed parts

In our tests, the Cube 3 performed acceptably on overhangs up to 3mm, which had some distortion. Overhangs from 4-mm had a large amount of distortion. Overhangs 4-7mm had a large amount of distortion. Overhangs 8mm and longer had a sever amount of distortion. The above metric measures the percent increase in thickness of a 5mm-thick overhang relative to its length.

A horizontal span is any unsupported bottom surface that is connected to a supporting structure on at least two sides. Horizontal spans generally come out much better than unsupported overhangs on the Cube 3. However, after a certain length, distortion will still occur.

Click on the image to see detailed illustrations and photos of the printed parts

In our tests, the Cube 3 showed a significant amount of bowing with large overhangs. The above metric measures the percent increase in thickness of a 2.5mm-thick horizontal span relative to its length.

No 3D printer is perfect, and , as such, it is important to include a bit of tolerance when parts are intended to fit together. With the Cube 3, we recommend making a hole 3%larger than the part intended to fit in it.

Click on the image to see detailed illustrations and photos of the printed parts

In our tests, the Cube 3 printed holes (9-10mm diameter, both round and square) smaller than the specification.

Of you want to print a part with moving components, it is important to leave a certain amount of clearance between the parts that are intended to move. ‘Horizontal’ refers to the idea that, in an axle/housing pair, the assembly is printed parallel to the build plate.

Click on the image to see detailed illustrations and photos of the printed parts

In our tests, the Cube 3 required 0.6mm of clearance in order for a horizontally-printed axle to be able to rotate inside its housing.

Of you want to print a part with moving components, it is important to leave a certain amount of clearance between the parts that are intended to move. ‘Vertical’ refers to the idea that, in an axle/housing pair, the assembly is printed perpendicular to the build plate.

Click on the image to see detailed illustrations and photos of the printed parts

In our tests, the Cube 3 required 0.6mm of clearance in order for a vertically printed axle to be able to rotate inside its housing. It should be noted that, due to the vertical print orientation, these types of parts were extremely fragile, especially under torsion.